In the 1898 case of Collier v. United States, the U.S Supreme Court ruled on a matter concerning land ownership and mining rights in Colorado. The plaintiff, Mr. Collier, had purchased a plot of land from an individual who had previously obtained it under the Preemption Act - legislation that allowed settlers to purchase public lands after living on them for at least six months. However, this particular piece of property was rich with mineral deposits which were discovered after its initial sale to Mr. Collier's predecessor. The defendant in this case was the United States government which claimed that since minerals were found on this property, it should have been classified as "mineral lands" exempted from preemption laws and therefore not eligible for private ownership through such means. The court sided with Mr.Collier stating that even though there might be valuable minerals present within his land; when he bought it no one knew about these resources hence they couldn't affect its classification or his right to own it under preemption laws.

In the dissenting opinion for Collier v. United States, it was argued that the majority's decision to uphold a conviction based on evidence obtained through an unauthorized search and seizure violated the Fourth Amendment rights of the defendant. The dissenting justices contended that any evidence acquired in such a manner should be deemed inadmissible in court as it is tainted by illegality from its inception. They further asserted that allowing this kind of evidence would undermine citizens' constitutional protections against unreasonable searches and seizures, thereby setting a dangerous precedent for future cases. The dissenters also disagreed with the majority's interpretation of what constitutes 'probable cause,' arguing their definition was too broad and could potentially lead to abuses of power by law enforcement authorities.